ARTIST: Kathryn S. Brashears, United States ARTIST STATEMENT: I’ve loved to draw people for as long as I can remember. I’ve taken various workshops with notable portrait artists in recent years, usually doing charcoal sketches and oil paintings. As of late I have been working in watercolor for the portability, clean up ease and quick […]
February 17th, 2019
Artist: Ben Stanford, United States Artist Statement: I’ve always been drawn to the human figure, and portraits in particular. The figure isn’t just something to be copied or reproduced but is a space for honest exploration. I use painting as a means through which tradition and craftsmanship can serve as a touchstone for the creative […]
December 23rd, 2018
Artist: Conrad McEwan, United Kingdom Artist Statement: For this piece I wanted to make Santa look more real, after all, he is based on Saint Nicholas from Asia Minor in the 1st Century AD. The golden halo is a nod to the religious iconography associated with him, combined with the more modern version we know […]
May 5th, 2018
Thank you to Cesar Santos for taking the time to review our sketchbooks. In this video Cesar demonstrates how he prepares a Beta Series sketchbook with gesso and then creates an oil painting on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDP-0iZrUis&feature=share
March 10th, 2018
Artist: Ong Kok Leong, Singapore Artist Statement: I was very impressed with Chris Pine’s portrayal of Steve Trevor in the blockbuster movie Wonder Woman. He certainly gave a fresh interpretation compared to the classic Lynda Carter’s version and the animated 2009 animated version. I’ve recently purchased a small Beta soft cover sketchbook and decided to […]
March 23rd, 2017
Artist: Guillem Marí, Spain Artist Statement: My vision in creating the artwork: I just love painting portraits and to experiment different approaches and media applied to portraiture. One of the things I enjoy most is to combine it with abstract and geometrical shapes, stains, drippings and splatter. I use my sketchbook to just experiment with […]
January 11th, 2017
Artist: Dean Spinks, Australia. Artist Statement: Kelly Slater. The greatest human to ever set foot on a surfboard, mesmerising both in and out of the water. The only way to do the great man justice was to go larger than life with this drawing. Working exclusively with fine tip black markers, I require a fine-tooth, […]
December 14th, 2016
Artist: Thomas W. Schaller, United States Artist Statement: I’ve been working over the past year or two in an attempt to find authentic ways to apply my approach to [Ed: architectural] watercolor in the painting of the human figure and portrait work.
What I’ve discovered is that if I stick to my basic artistic priorities: […]